


Here's to the hearts that ache

by Eliana_debrey



Series: drafts [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Wakes & Funerals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-27 13:08:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30123234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eliana_debrey/pseuds/Eliana_debrey
Summary: Friday 28th of April, Tim's headmistress spoke to them.Jason Todd is dead.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Jack Drake & Janet Drake & Tim Drake, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson
Series: drafts [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2110263
Comments: 6
Kudos: 36





	Here's to the hearts that ache

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
> Hope everyone is okay and that you'll enjoy this.  
> Stay safe everyone <3

Tim didn’t really know Jason, he knew Robin, but Jason was a stranger. Still, on Friday 28th of April when the headmistress gathered all the students in the big amphitheater of Gotham Academy, when she walked up all the stairs to the stage and stood in front of the microphone, her expression tight, and looked at them, her face was white and eyes looked reddish from where Tim sat. She took a deep breath and told them. That Jason Todd Wayne had died the night before during his trip with his father. Tim didn't know Jason, but air left his lungs.

Tim heard a gasp behind him, someone started crying, he recognized one of Jason’s classmates. He looked up at the headmistress she gave them a small smile, informed them that the school therapist would meet with anyone who thought needed to talk, and she left.

Tim didn’t know if the buzzing in his ears was real and coming from the thousand of students talking to each other or just coming from him. He adjusted his backpack with one hand and headed to class. Jason’s class was guided somewhere else, away from the other students. Tim saw a few of them drying tears, one girl’s stare was empty as she walked behind them. Their teacher’s hands were squeezed into really tight fists. Tim turned his head to look down.

His day passed slowly, no one really wanted to work, the dining room was quiet for the first time. Everybody heard of Jason, a few really knew him, but he was a boy. Starting high school next year. Some pupils were whispering to each other, wondering how it happened if Bruce Wayne was alive if Dick Grayson was with them. Tim ignored them, he sat with his friends and ate slowly his plate.

Tim’s dad came to get him from school that day. He even ruffled Tim’s hair when he sat in the car his bag on his knees. His mom was in the kitchen, the newspaper folded in her lap. She was fiddling with her phone, Tim walked slowly to her and put a kiss on her cheek, she smiled before caressing his head. Janet stood up as she said she was going to call someone, her husband nodded before sitting at the kitchen table telling Tim he would help him with his homework.

Tim sat silently, he pushed the newspaper to have some space on the table, the smiling face of both Jason Todd and Bruce Wayne looking back at him. Jack snatched the paper away before turning back to his son. Tim didn’t like what he saw on his father’s face, pain, sorrow.

They spent the night together, Tim was happy he loved to cuddle, his mom had her hands buried in his hair while they watched TV, and his dad was holding both of them in his arms.

It’s Tim who got the letter first, the card was all black written with golden letters, Tim found it strangely pretty. His dad didn’t read, said he didn’t need to, he just looked at Tim and then shook his head before leaving the kitchen. Tim’s mom grabbed her son’s hand when she saw him trying to go after his dad.

Honestly, it was confusing, Tim didn’t understand. They didn’t know Jason but they looked so upset every time they saw his name in the papers or on TV. His dad didn’t turn on the radio in the car, he talked instead.

The funerals took place the next Tuesday. Janet asked her son if he wanted to come, Tim thought it was important. He needed to pay his respect to Robin at least. Later he wished he had said he didn’t want to go. Even if it was important, he wished he had said he wasn’t coming.

The casket was closed, there was a large picture next to it instead. Jason was smiling so proudly on it, his eyes were squinted in tight slits, and his mouth largely open, he looked morbidly happy. Tim waited behind his mom until they got in front of the coffin, she gave him a flower so that he could put it on it. When Janet finished putting her white rose, she grabbed Tim's shoulder harshly as if he was going to disappear if she let go.

And Tim understood.

His parents weren’t sad because Jason was dead. They were devastated because a young boy had died, he was only fifteen, so close to Tim’s own age. Too young to be gone forever. Too young. Too soft, it was unfair, too unfair to be true. Children weren't supposed to die, Robin wasn't supposed to die. Jason had still so much to live for, so little happiness in his life. It was too cruel to be true. Tim felt his entire body growing hot under the sudden anger filling his small body, his nose started to hitch, his eyes got blurry, he wiped his face with his sleeve.

Dick Grayson was there. Sitting next to Alfred Pennyworth and Barbara Gordon. He looked more angry than sad, his jaws were tights, his hands grabbing his trousers. Barbara’s fingers over them, her face in his shoulder.

The butler looked ten years older. He locked eyes with Timothy and pursed his lips, closed his eyes, and forced a painful smile on his lips. Tim nodded and looked around for Bruce Wayne, but the man was nowhere to be found. The empty seat next to his family on the first row screaming his absence to anyone.

There was a small speech, Dick didn’t go up the stage, Tim didn't think the young man would have been able to talk anyway, his lips were sealed together. Alfred Pennyworth’s talk was brief and emotional. Barbara went after him, she looked stronger than both of the two men, her eyes were sharp but definitely red and puffy. Her green eyes appearing deeper because of the red sclera.

She stopped in the middle of a sentence when she saw Bruce walk in. The man was standing tall, stylish, stoic. He sat next to his butler at the front row, carefully avoiding to look at the picture. At the end of the talk, the people starting from the back could walk up to the casket and bid a final goodbye to Jason.

Tim and his family stood one after the other and walked up to Bruce, Jack took him in his arms, Tim saw Bruce squeezing his eyes shut and whispering a quiet thank you to Jack, Janet took his hands in hers and told him that their door was always open. Both his parents waited on the side for Tim. Bruce Wayne’s stare pinned him to the ground. Tim took the small envelope he had been carrying with him and gave it to the man.

“I’m in the media club at school. I…I had some pictures of Jason,” Tim heard the sharp inhale intake from Dick standing next to Bruce. “I’m sorry for your loss mister Wayne,” Tim finally whispered, he looked down and almost ran to his parents.

There was a buffet, different foods thrown together, people talking, smiles were rare. The air was heavy, it wasn’t Tim’s first funerals, he had been to his grandfather’s, but it never felt this stuffy. People whispering to each other how fifteen is not old enough, how a father should never have to bury his son.

Tim escaped the room, he took some food with him and wandered between the tombstones. He stopped in front of his grandmother’s stone and left a slice of cake for her. He liked her, she had always smelled sweet, bought him his first camera.

Tim walked slowly towards Jason’s fresh grave. Bruce Wayne was still in front of it, Dick Grayson walking quickly away from him. He caught a glimpse of Tim and headed towards him. Tim panicked, he didn’t know what to do, he looked down trying to ignore Dick but the young man stopped in front of him.

“Timothy Drake, right?” he asked gently. Tim nodded. “Thank you for the pictures. It means a lot,” Tim finally looked up to watch Dick.

“It felt important,” he answered. Dick smiled, he sat on the ground at Tim’s feet.

“Did you… were you his friend?” he asked hopeful. Tim bit on his lips.

“Not really. Jason was older than me and he didn’t really hang out with pupils.”

Dick was watching the grass like it was the most interesting thing in the world. He picked on it, pulled strands between his thumb and index.

“He didn’t have a lot of friends, is that it?” Tim sat next to Dick.

“I don't know... I didn’t really know him, I’m sorry,” Tim said with his small voice.

“It’s fine, don’t apologize. His classmates brought… flowers and Ja… and his stuff yesterday, they said they’d like to come and visit him if Bruce allowed it,” Dick’s voice cracked. “They were so tiny you know, you’re tiny too,” Dick stopped suddenly, took a deep breath, looked at Tim, and stood up. “Your parents will look for you, I’ll walk you back.”

Tim spared a glance at Bruce who was now kneeling in front of his son’s grave. He looked so small from where Tim was standing, the strong and powerful Batman reduce to that state. Dick put and hand on his shoulder and pushed him a little to start walking.

“How was he?” Tim asked. “I know he was smart, he really liked school,” Dick snorted.

“He was a bookworm, he would spend days in a museum to write homework, could talk your ears off when you started him on mythology,” Dick swallowed difficultly. “He was a great brother, wished I could’ve lived up to it.”

“You probably did,” Tim reassured him. Dick ruffled his hair.

“No, I’m afraid I wasn’t the best big brother. We had issues. I let him down in the end,” Dick said looking at his hands. “If I had been here everything would've been different,” he mumbled to himself.

Tim grabbed Dick’s hands and squeezed them. It took a few more minutes for them to join back the other people. Tim’s parents thanked Dick for watching over him, they excused themselves and left the building. As they crossed the front door, Jack stopped in his tracks. Bruce was in front of him wishing him a safe trip, and thanked them for coming. He looked down at Tim and then back at Janet.

“Take care of him, okay?” He said. “You don’t know how long you have left with them,” he added quietly. Janet whimpered, catching her son’s hand. “Thank you for the photographs, Timothy. They are priceless to me.”

Bruce walked past him back into the room, Tim looked briefly at the older man’s hands and saw the bloody knuckles they were sporting. Janet pulled on Tim’s hand guiding him out. Tim had the time to see the icy-cold glare Bruce threw at Jason’s photograph, his hands squeezed in tight fists.

Tim winced, a shiver ran down his spine.

Bruce Wayne looked like he could kill.


End file.
